dance your heart out

I’ve been watching a lot of dance videos on YouTube to get ideas for movements and music to perform circus to.

Because of that, I’ve been watching a lot of kids’ hip hop dance competitions. These kids are incredible.

One video I watched was with this amazing little black girl. She must have been about 8 years old. She’s rocking it out to Missy Elliott; singing, dancing, and just going for it. The video focuses on her.

In the background is this gangly awkward white girl. She’s trying her heart out, but it’s just not quite the same. Her movements are a bit too mechanical. She’s singing and moving, but there’s this look of intense concentration on her face.

I am that girl.

I’m always the one who thinks I’m doing amazing. I’ve got the choreography on beat. I’m lip syncing something that might be a reasonable variation of the lyrics if we were doing drunk karaoke. I’m trying.

Unfortunately, I suck. This becomes apparent to me as soon as I watch any video of myself dancing in a class of people. In my head, I look like that rockstar guy who has great splits and a theatrical face. In real life… moderately graceful elephant.

Whatever.

I make amazing almond brittle.

Almond Brittle

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 cup almonds

Directions

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat and set aside.

In a skillet (light-coloured if possible), melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the remaining ingredients.

Cook, stirring constantly, for about 6 minutes, or until the mixture has gone a caramel colour. If you used a dark skillet, use a white spatula or a spoon to check the colour.

Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet. Let cool completely, then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.